Aptera fusca
Encyclopedia
The Cape Mountain Cockroach, Giant Cockroach or Table Mountain Cockroach (Aptera fusca) is a large cockroach
which is widespread on low vegetation in open areas in the fynbos
biome of the Western Cape
region of South Africa
. Adult females can be from 30 to 40 mm (1.2 to 1.6 ) long. Males are slightly smaller (body length 29 millimetres (1.1 in)) and have dark brown wings
, which are absent in females. It is stoutly built, with a reddish head and brown to black body segments with prominent yellow margins . The femora are heavily spined, with the hind tibiae having two very broad ridges with only two rows of spurs . They are nocturnal and herbivorous . Unusually for insects, it gives birth to 18–24 live offspring and protects the young for a while after giving birth. Family groups are found in late summer and autumn: a brood of black nymphs, a wingless female and two or more males, all living in a hidden crack . When alarmed, it raises its abdomen into the air and squeaks loudly ; it also releases a foul-smelling liquid from glands on the back . The only other species in the genus Aptera, A. munda, is rare, and is found in the Richtersveld
.
Cockroach
Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
which is widespread on low vegetation in open areas in the fynbos
Fynbos
Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...
biome of the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
region of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Adult females can be from 30 to 40 mm (1.2 to 1.6 ) long. Males are slightly smaller (body length 29 millimetres (1.1 in)) and have dark brown wings
Insect wing
Insects are the only group of invertebrates known to have evolved flight. Insects possess some remarkable flight characteristics and abilities, still far superior to attempts by humans to replicate their capabilities. Even our understanding of the aerodynamics of flexible, flapping wings and how...
, which are absent in females. It is stoutly built, with a reddish head and brown to black body segments with prominent yellow margins . The femora are heavily spined, with the hind tibiae having two very broad ridges with only two rows of spurs . They are nocturnal and herbivorous . Unusually for insects, it gives birth to 18–24 live offspring and protects the young for a while after giving birth. Family groups are found in late summer and autumn: a brood of black nymphs, a wingless female and two or more males, all living in a hidden crack . When alarmed, it raises its abdomen into the air and squeaks loudly ; it also releases a foul-smelling liquid from glands on the back . The only other species in the genus Aptera, A. munda, is rare, and is found in the Richtersveld
Richtersveld
The Richtersveld is a mountainous desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat sandy plains, to craggy sharp mountains of volcanic rock and the lushness of the Orange River, which...
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